NEW YORK?It?s easy to imagine the sigh that must have come from New York Red Bulls coach Hans Backe when his 18-year-old forward, Juan Agudelo, was named to the MLS All-Star Game.
Backe will have to take it up with MLS commissioner Don Garber.
Agudelo, who rarely starts for New York when English newcomer Luke Rodgers is healthy, wasn?t among the dozen All-Stars chosen in a fan vote. And it?s safe to say Backe, also the All-Star coach, wasn?t going to heap even more pressure and attention on his prized teenager by selecting him to the squad.
But given the option to include the Ocean County, N.J., product as one of his two additions to the MLS team that will face Manchester United on Wednesday at Red Bull Arena, Garber couldn?t resist.
Now, the player who has whetted the appetites of so many American soccer fans desperate for a pure goal scorer to call their own has yet another accolade to add to his CONCACAF Gold Cup silver medal, 10 U.S. national team appearances and two goals.
?He?s home-grown. He?s a talented player. He gets a lot of (articles) about him becoming the future player for the U.S.? Backe said. ?I?m not surprised at all (about Garber's selection).?
If Agudelo?s stardom is inevitable, then Backe and Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry?who knows a thing or two about life as a phenom?are determined to ensure it?s a gradual rise. Backe has done just about everything possible this season to bring along Agudelo slowly and has said he hopes to limit the hype and commercial attention devoted to the player. Agudelo has started just nine of New York?s 23 regular-season games. As a rookie last year, he didn?t start until the MLS Cup playoffs.
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?You want to play every game and that?s the attitude of Juan,? Henry, now 33, recalled Tuesday when asked about his days as a teenage professional at AS Monaco. "And I remember sometimes I would play well, score goals and the game after the boss used to keep me on the bench and I was like, ?what?? I couldn?t understand because I was young, crazy and I wanted to play every game.
?Then I understood that (coach Jean Tigana) wanted to protect me, and when I saw him three years after I thanked him for that.?
Agudelo has precocious talent and a genuine scorer?s touch, and he?s tied for third on the Red Bulls with five regular season goals despite limited playing time. But Backe, who has been coaching nearly 30 years, wants to temper the excitement.
?Already at the end of last season, I felt that it was too much around him and it still has been," Backe told the New York Post. "How to protect the player that?s suddenly getting involved in a lot of commercials and still has to fight for his spot?
?Surrounding him, the expectation is too much. It?s too early, and he?s too young. ... As a young guy, you lose focus. You say, ?Oh, I can handle this.? But they can?t handle it. I know it.?
After the All-Stars practiced Tuesday, Henry delivered a message of warning to Sporting News and other assembled media.
?I will keep on saying it, especially to you guys: Leave him alone,? the French World Cup winner said. "He?s still young. It?s not an easy one, and I went through the same thing.
?Right now, I can tell you I see stuff in training from him that tells me he can be a great player. But let him grow and let him work it out and be the player he can be. The expectation is really big in this country to have a Landon Donovan, who soon is going to retire, so you guys are looking for who?s going to be the next one. Hopefully, it?s going to be (Agudelo), but it can only be him if you let him grow.?
Agudelo, meanwhile, seems unfazed.
There?s nothing about Agudelo's demeanor to suggest his head has swelled. He?s soft-spoken, self critical and shows no inclination toward self-promotion or self-congratulation during multiple interviews with Sporting News. He looks away when talking about himself. When asked a question this week about his Gold Cup experience, he quickly focused on what he could have done better.
?It just showed me I have a lot to learn?a lot of things,? he said. "I didn?t like the way I ended the Gold Cup. I didn?t like the way I played the last game. But overall, it was a good experience and I was just happy to be there."
He?s happy to be at the All-Star Game as well, and told Sporting News he ?want(s) to put on a good show.?
Agudelo has the talent to do just that, and if he does so against Manchester United, he undoubtedly will elicit both a cheer and a cringe from his supportive but protective coach.
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